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Using 'Free' In A Domain Name - Opinions?

by Lynette Crase
13 replies
Hi All

I was wondering what you all think about using the word 'free' in a domain name. Do you think that it would be likely to attract only freebie seekers?

I have found a great keyword phrase but it has the word 'free' in it. The phrase gets a fair amount of searches a day and has reasonably low competition. This is not in the IM niche. I have checked and the .com is already taken but it is just one of those sites with a whole lot of links on it. Nothing of value. The .net and .org are both still available.

So, what do you think about having a domain name with the word 'free' in it. What's your opinion, would you go for it or not?
#domain #free #opinions
  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Olson
    Originally Posted by Lynette Crase View Post

    Hi All

    I was wondering what you all think about using the word 'free' in a domain name. Do you think that it would be likely to attract only freebie seekers?

    I have found a great keyword phrase but it has the word 'free' in it. The phrase gets a fair amount of searches a day and has reasonably low competition. This is not in the IM niche. I have checked and the .com is already taken but it is just one of those sites with a whole lot of links on it. Nothing of value. The .net and .org are both still available.

    So, what do you think about having a domain name with the word 'free' in it. What's your opinion, would you go for it or not?
    I would never try to rank for a keyword phrase with the word 'free' in it unless I was sending them to a lead capture page.

    The bottom line is that anyone searching for a keyword with the word 'free' in it is NOT in a buying mood. They are searching for free information and are not at that point where they are ready/willing to pull their credit card out. However, as I said earlier you may want to drive that traffic to a lead capture page and create a mailing list. Then gradually expose them to your offer and convert them into buyers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lynette Crase
    Thanks for your opinion Matthew. I was thinking of doing this. List building would be the best idea with this site if I decide to go ahead with it.

    You're right about people searching for free stuff not being ready to buy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Arun Kumar
    If you want to offer free information for your visitors for lifetime then it would be reasonable to have " free " in the domain name. If not, don't go for it.
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    • Profile picture of the author SantiSantana
      Sorry for the small hijacking of the thread but it is related. Do domains with the word "free" work well with adsense and CPA free trials? is there anyone using them that way that can report on results?

      I was thinking about adsense mostly since Google would be likely to post ads offering freebies and free trials which theoretically would be good for clicks but obviously I´m theorising here.
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      • Profile picture of the author bravo75
        NEVER forget to use the word free for free trials

        Originally Posted by SantiSantana View Post

        Sorry for the small hijacking of the thread but it is related. Do domains with the word "free" work well with adsense and CPA free trials? is there anyone using them that way that can report on results?

        I was thinking about adsense mostly since Google would be likely to post ads offering freebies and free trials which theoretically would be good for clicks but obviously I´m theorising here.
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  • Profile picture of the author abundantlife085
    Another downside of using the word 'free' in a domain name is if you ever plan to do any email marketing, it can increase your spam score.

    If you plan to make your money from advertising rather than selling products, then it's a great idea to use the word free in your domain name, because it'll get more people to your site. But yes, they will be tire-kickers most likely.
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  • Profile picture of the author bravo75
    If it's an email submit make sure you don't forget the word Free
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  • Profile picture of the author J Bold
    If you join a cpa network, you could use this to get your site visitors to fill out email submit offers offering free giveaways. Many cpa marketers use this.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jim Gillum
    Think that "free" will attract a lot of junk traffic. Even with a squeeze page most would have to be freebie seekers. Could use it like other free sites and cover it with ads.....
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    • Profile picture of the author theimdude
      I registered 2 domain the same but the one starting with "free" It is a optin page and I have not had the success I expected.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lynette Crase
    Thanks for your opinions everyone. I have decided not to go ahead with this. I'm thinking I will probably be wasting my time with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Stigson
    There are ways to turn "free" into money, but I'd say you need to know what you are doing... The word free could still have some value =) I know a lot of people making money with it in the domain name, I've got several sites that do...

    The problem is that many do not know how to angle that word correctly =)

    - Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    When I type in free in Google, I am looking for FREE.
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